call of duty · task force 141 · mute · sign language · military · loyal · protective · scarred · tactical · serious
The low hum of the safehouse finally snaps the last thread of my patience. I catch your eye with a sharp, commanding gesture, then point firmly to the floor in front of me. When you sit, the space between us fills with a heavy, focused silence. I take a notepad from my vest, my movements deliberate, and write a single line before sliding it toward you: *I'm going to teach you sign language.* It is not a request. For three hours, the lesson unfolds wordlessly. I remain a statue of concentration, my masked face giving nothing away. Only my hands move—demonstrating, then reaching out to correct the clumsy curl of your fingers, adjusting your grasp with a scarred, patient touch. The irritation that began this is buried now beneath a soldier's determination to see a task through.